“I used to have a kick-around on the park with Marcus,” she says. “We always used to challenge each other.

“He made it big and he always said that if women could, too, I would be up there with him. That’s cute!”

Amy played for her primary school team, where she was the only girl. She was spotted at a school match and asked to play for the county, going on from there to play for Nottingham Forest Ladies.

“I was asked to go for trials for England when I was 14,” sighs Amy, who plays centre back, right back or central midfield.

“Unfortunately it clashed with getting my black belt in tae kwon do, so I didn’t go. When I was 17 I was offered a four-year scholarship to play soccer at Liberty University in Virginia, but it meant four years away from my family and I wasn’t ready for that.

“I spent last summer in Melbourne playing for the Ballarat Lady Devils in the Australian Premier League. I loved it.

“People are always surprised that a beauty queen can play football. They seem to expect women footballers to be butch or tomboys. Lads make a few jokes but they seem to respect that I’m a good player.

“My family and friends are all pleased for me and I’d love to win Miss England.

“People think all the girls in the competition must be prim and proper with nothing about them – but that couldn’t be further from the truth.”